Two people have died and caused “numerous significant injuries” in a massive wildfire around Los Angeles, fire officials said Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, we have a report of two civilian deaths, the cause of which was unknown at the time, and we have multiple significant injuries,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marone said during a press conference.
Palisades fire ‘growing’, thousands of acres burned
Marone also said that a fire had destroyed 1,000 buildings, mostly in the city’s affluent Palisades neighborhood.
“We have over 5,000 acres of land burned and the fire is growing,” Marrone said. He added, “We don’t have any percentage of control.”
The Palisades fire is one of a number of fires around Los Angeles. The Eaton fire is burning in Altadena, north of the city, while the Hurst fire is near the northern Los Angeles suburb of Sylmar. A fourth fire, known as the Woodley Fire, broke out in the San Fernando Valley early Wednesday morning.
Marone said that fire departments around Los Angeles were not equipped “for this type of disaster.”
“There are not enough firefighters in L.A. County to deal with four separate fires of this magnitude,” he said.
Emergency services ‘stretched’ to their limits
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades fire and Hearst fire are “stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet, with strong winds still hitting the city and county today,” Crowley said.
At least 70,000 Los Angeles residents have been urged to evacuate their homes.
Palisades is home to many Hollywood stars such as Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Mandy Moore. Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in nearby Brentwood was also ordered to be evacuated Tuesday, but she was not home.
LA mayor warns residents about poor air quality
“Winds pushing the smoke into the Los Angeles area will have significant impacts on air quality,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told city residents in a post Wednesday morning on Instagram.
“Please limit your exposure by staying indoors by closing windows and doors and wearing a properly fitted mask,” Bass said.
Mark Pestrella of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works called on residents to conserve water for firefighters. County officials said it is “difficult” to fight the fire with urban water systems.
Popular spots around the city like Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign are also closed to tourists at this time due to the fire.
The California Institute of Technology, known as Caltech, canceled classes Wednesday because of the fire at nearby Eaton.
The Critics’ Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, will also be postponed due to the fire.
wd/ab (Reuters, AFP)
